I have come to the conclusion that MAGA Republicans — and at this point, what with the attempt to overthrow the government and all that, I consider that to mean all remaining Republicans — are suffering from an addiction disorder. I can’t come up with another feasible answer, and I’ve considered many. It explains why someone would construct a self-defeating fantasy world immune to truth, blind to evidence, alienated from faith and family and untethered from common sense just to keep the buzz going? And why else would someone return again and again to their same dealers who lie and cheat and take their money, except for a spectacular high? What else can motivate such blind and focused drive, oblivious to any consequence?
I’ve got to say I’m relieved to have had this epiphany. I’ve been both puzzled and worried, particularly about my generation. The “baby boomer” generation extends from those turning 77 in 2023 to those turning 59. I happen to be one of them. I wanted to write a bit about what it must be like to spend the “golden years” as a MAGA Republican. I wanted to ask how it is that half of “us” have become so hyper-focused and enraged about things that literally have no bearing on “our” lives in most cases - like Iowans fretting about imaginary migrant caravans 300+ miles from their border, transsexual medical standards of care, critical race theory and all of the other fronts on the so-called “culture war?” I was going to ask how “we” have come to elect “leaders” who pay no mind at all to public policy - who reflect not a shred of optimism or hope or compassion?
Then it came to me — the only logical answer is that there is an all-consuming, overwhelming NEED to believe these things, a need so urgent that reality cannot penetrate the fantasy. Reality would kill the buzz. And the conveyor of that buzz is epinephrine, a neurotransmitter hormone commonly known as adrenaline — the “fight or flight” messenger. We all know the feeling from an auto accident or from sudden and severe turbulence on your flight to Branson. But you seek it out too — carnival rides and zip lines and skiing. When the fear or threat passes the buzz fades.
But what happens when you respond to a threat, real or perceived, with anger and rage? The anger and rage become the biochemical stimulant, and rage becomes your addiction. Two random articles in Psychology Today support the case that rage is addictive, and that angry people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. Imagine the buzz if those conspiracy theories catalyze more rage. A “rageaholic” could learn to like that. And where do boomers go for their daily (or hourly….or minute by minute) dose of fear and rage?
You can see on this Fox News demographic profile how 56% of its regular watchers are age 55 and over. You may “know” Fox News only for their recent $750 million+ civil lawsuit loss related to their unrelenting lies about rigged Dominion voting machines (more fines related to their election “coverage” likely to come), but this network has a flare for “fake” news of all sorts. And it’s been dishing out fear and rage for decades. If my fellow boomers can’t get hyped up enough from Fox News there’s always a wide selection of fear and rage available online for a steady supply. First comes fear (Democrats are going to steal this election) then comes rage — fight or flight. The MAGA right is constantly marinating in fear, threats and anger. Just today (7-7-23) New York Times opinion writer David French referenced this “Happy” July 4th tweet from Tennesse Representative Andy Ogles to his constituents, 42.3% of whom voted for someone else:
Hey guys, Congressman Andy Ogles here, wishing you a happy and blessed Fourth of July. Hey, remember our Founding Fathers. It’s we the people that are in charge of this country, not a leftist minority. Look, the left is trying to destroy our country and our family, and they’re coming after you. Have a blessed Fourth of July. Be safe. Have fun. God bless America.
How’s that for casually reminding Tennesseans not to forget about how much they should hate half of their fellow Americans on the very day we celebrate our country? The tsunami of hate speech from right-wing politicians, evangelicals and the media makes it hard to determine whether they’re feeling the rage buzz themselves, or just keeping the troops on alert. Ogles’ 2021 Christmas card was another take on the MAGA Christian true meaning of Christmas. But the time will come to “pay the piper.”
Addictions don’t typically heal themselves, and the right-wing political machine and its media extensions have figured out that their followers will always want more. So, they give more — it doesn’t have to make sense, it doesn’t have to be true. It just needs to be threatening enough to enrage them.
I showed in a previous post on COVID that the Republican Party and its state media were literally willing to shovel my generation into the grave for perceived political gain. I did a new plot below based on current COVID death rates by red states voting Trump in 2016 and blue states for Clinton. You can see that three blue states had COVID death rates greater than 400 per 100,000 population. But the fifteen red states with death rates greater than 400/100,000 (including DeSantis’ Florida at 414/100,000) have convinced their fellow Republican citizens that they fought the evil deep state and “won.” Grrrrrr…that evil deep state that tried to keep us healthy — screw them all!!
The mRNA microchip/vaccine, bleach drinking, mask avoiding nonsense was a short-term and targeted (and pretty damned successful) political strategy, and shame on them for convincing MAGA republicans the “deep state” was more threatening than COVID (it obviously was not). And if my boomer cohorts on the right want to spend their final years afraid and enraged the sacrifice will continue.
You see the adrenaline surge is, biologically, designed to be a quick survival solution to an immediate threat, mitigated by the hypothalamus. But when the threat continues, real or perceived, the “stress hormone” cortisol keeps the “party” going in a biochemical reaction called the HPA axis. The “party” includes sustained higher blood pressure, higher blood sugar, and increased pulse and respiration. Over the long-term increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline from chronic stress (rage) can damage the cardiovascular system and stimulate the buildup of fat stores (type 2 diabetes). Chronic stress is a slower killer than purposefully exposing oneself to COVID, but we boomers are no longer “Spring chickens.” It would not be wrong to think that Andy Ogles and the MAGA crowd are contributing to the early demise of their followers.
In the 2020 Presidential election voters younger than 50 favored Biden over Trump by 36% points. Much has been made of the slow shift away from a white-majority United States, but it could be the premature deaths of my generation spurred on by the policies of MAGA Republicans and their media that really turns the tide. I certainly don’t see the fear campaign subsiding. The visual above of state-by-state death rates from cardiac events isn’t necessarily showing this effect — there are many risk factors for heart disease including smoking and poverty. But the visual could be a demonstration, and there’s no doubt that MAGA is killing more than just its adherents. I’m reminded of the “bring out your dead” scene in Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail and I can picture the “Church,” the Supreme Court, the Grand Ole Republican Party and thousands of my Boomer cohorts being tossed on the cart as it passes. What a waste!
Once again Tony you shine! When you first noted a MAGA addiction, I thought it was going to be a tease. But I think your scientific analysis is spot on! It only makes sense as there is no other rational explanation for the disgusting behavior of the radical right. While I wish no one and early death, we may be seeing Darwin's natural selection at work, sadly targeting my baby boomer generation. If I have one nasty hope, I hope the grim reaper comes sooner that later for the idiot down the street who flew his Trump flag for 2 - 3 months AFTER January 6, 2021.
You are on the mark. For further elucidation I would highly recommend “The Cult of Trump” by Steven Hassan a cult expert and deprogrammer.